Nerd Church - I Understood That Reference

Hello my lovely people! We, as nerds, have developed our own code, have we not, to let others know who we are and what we love?

I figured that, for this week's nerd church, I'd simply share with you some of my favourite nerd-code phrases. These enable us to identify each other as readily as a Deathly Hallows necklace - so I figure they're worth enjoying every now and then ;) Hopefully you'll recognise a few. What about you? What are your favourite nerd references?

'Winter is Coming'

'After all this time?' 'Always'

'I volunteer!'

'I have an army...'

'Stupid mundane'

 

'You have failed this city!'

 

'Chimichanga time!'

This is Halloween! - Top 5 Spooky Hidden Gems

'Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?'

I thought that for Halloween I'd highlight some books that either get overlooked or unfairly forgotten. I'm something of a fan of all things horror and gothic - so I'm going to give you fair warning that these books are not for those who scare easy. If you've got the stomach for it, then read on...

1. For the Rock Fan - Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Judas Coyne is an old rocker with a thing for collecting macabre and occult objects. He may have just bought the real deal.


This was the first book I read by Joe Hill. This was the start of my love of his work. I adore this book. It may be too scary/spooky/grim for some - Hill has horror running through his veins - but for anyone up for a walk on the darker side of life, I seriously recommend this. The quality of the writing speaks for itself; this is easily one of my favourite books.


2. For the Scandi-Noir Fan - Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

1981. Sweden. A bullied twelve-year-old, Oskar - finds a friend, Eli. Eli is not all she seems. And people are dying.


This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Fair warning. These are not the vampires who sparkle - these are the kind of vampires based in the gritty realism of Scandinavian winter. It also involves some fairly uncomfortable social problems - including a character who is a paedophile. While Lindqvist's deftness with difficult topics is evident even through the translation, this is still highly disturbing fair.

3. For Your Inner Goth - Florence & Giles by John Harding

New England in 1891. Neglected by their guardian, Florence and Giles have made their own entertainment. But then there's what happened to the last governess, and Florence's suspicions of the new one.


This book has a fabulous twisted feel to it - truly gothic. Inspired by The Turn of the Screw, and devilishly readable, all fans of spooky period drama, and things that go bump in the night, will be thrilled. This isn't particularly long, and has quite a fast pace to it; plus some real page-turning credentials.

4. For the Movie Fan - The Crow by J O'Barr

Eric Draven has a score to settle. The Crow has brought his spirit back to wreak his vengeance.


Born of grief, and plagued by it's own mythos, The Crow has developed something of a life of its own. Long before the film which would be Brandon Lee's last, there was the graphic novel. This is not a happy book. It is graphic. It is violent. There is rape, drugs, and murder. For all that, there's something about which is sublimely beautiful - it's a piece of art. I had the great pleasure of meeting James O'Barr once (one of my heroes, if you must know) - and he is a genuinely lovely person, despite everything he's been through in his life.

 

5. For All Horror Fans - NOS4R2/NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Some people creates worlds in their heads. Vic McQueen has her bridge, Charlie Manx has Christmasland.


You can find my full review of this novel here. This is another fantastic book from Joe Hill. It's long, but very much worth the read. I do recommend that if you're not ok with having your childhood memories possibly irreparably ruined, you read this at any time except Christmas. I'm just saying.

Friday Fics Fix! (In Which the Blogger Falls Off the FrostIron Wagon)

I tried to stay away from Frostiron. I tried to read Stucky, Stony, Johnlock, even the odd bit of Capsicoul. In the end though, I fell off the wagon and just climbed right back onto that ship. I think I may've sold my soul.

So, I may as well drag you all down with me. These are the fics that've captured my, albeit warped, attention this week - telling tales of Iron Man and Loki in love, with much angst and what is almost certainly PTSD.

I've Got You by BonesXLI - this is a slightly heart-breaking drabble (short one-shot (one part) fic,) which involves Loki having nightmares. Poor Loki.

Holding Hands by Flawless_Imperfection - More unpleasantness for Loki here as he has flashbacks of torture.

That Kind of Marriage by Runic - Thor decides to save his brother from, yep, that's right, torture, by marrying him off to Tony Stark. Because that solves everything (shifty glances.) This then rapidly descends into gay porn - so 18+ only (stay in school, don't rob banks, yadda yadda yadda...)

Help me, hjepe meg by Donya - More torture here. And the aftermath of rape. And some PTSD and unintentional self-harm. Plus, Thor is not a good person here. And Cap is less understanding than you'd think. This is quite dark, so 18+ please (a blogger has to try, but I know you'll end up doing whatever you want.)

Comics Wrap Up - Little Gods and Political Problems

Two Marvel comics to include in my wrap-up this week - I picked up a load of comics cheap recently, and Vengeance (#4 of 6) was part of that haul. Despite the cover (which is all artistic-y - look at the artistic-y-ness!) this actually features young teen Loki, rather than his adult form. Kid Loki is freaking adorable. This is part of the Vengeance mini-series, which is about a young team of heroes, trying to help the forces of chaos and order to stay balanced, while a new team of young villains try to do away with the old heroes and villains alike. Because they are a**holes. I really enjoyed it. And the inclusion of a Latina bisexual hero - Miss America (America Chavez) and a black hero - Angel Salvadore - is an awesome addition. Not least because they are both awesome heroines in general. Could have done without some of the unrealistic and totally impractical shots of Chavez's boobs, but this is a comic book - multiple universes we can do, but the heroine at some point will probably have breasts that defy physics.

And so to that most ethnically diverse of superhero teams, and Uncanny X-men #388 (World's End Part 1 of 4.) This is a 2001 comic that's sort of reviewing old ground as far as plot is concerned. This is mainly concerned with Senator Robert Kelly, Mystique's plan to assassinate him (her second plan, they've done this cat-and-mouse game before,) and the ramifications for the future (the future-mutants Bishop and Cable are faffing around.) My advice to you with this one? Don't bother too much about the details. With so much time-travel and rebooting flying around, you're just going to get confused if you try to keep too hard a grip on the ins-and-outs. Just enjoy the ride my friends. Also, I don't know why Mystique seems to be on steroids on the cover - she just is. There are a few... larger-than-life depictions of pretty much everyone here - it seems to just have been the style they were going for. To be fair, it's pretty affective - the artwork in this issue is really awesome.

Reviewing the Evidence - Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (US Link)
Author: Susan Ee
Genre: angel, paranormal, dystopian, YA
Series: Penryn and the End of Days (#1)

A few starting notes:


This is a young adult angel book that's also dystopian - I'm talking the apocalypse. Hold on tight, there are some things to say here.

Premise:

It's been six weeks since the angels returned to earth; the angels are not the friends of humanity. The angels are here to destroy everything.

Penryn Young is trying to help her family to safety. This is made more complicated when her sister, Paige, is kidnapped by angels. Penryn had to get her back. Add an injured angel to the mix, and you've got a whole lot of trouble.

Best bits:

This is original; the premise mixes the grit of dystopia with the otherworldly of angel books, creating something fresh. Written entirely in the present tense, the prose is sparse - something which I thoroughly applaud. Words are not wasted here, and I'm a big fan of short sentences with impact.

There is no insta-love - it's always awesome when relationships develop instead of erupt. In fact, despite the romantic subplot, I don't think the words 'I Love You' are ever spoken - another great point.

I'm also pleased that the author has attempted to add in some diversity of characters. True, I have some issues with the way both physical disability and mental illness are portrayed - which I'll discuss in the next section - but the very fact that Ms Ee has tried to include these characters in the book is a positive. I also love that the main character, Penryn, is a carer - complete with conflicting thoughts and self-sacrifice to a destructive level. Believe me when I say that there are not enough books that depict carers - let alone ones that paint a realistic picture. This does a half-decent job; and I know that Penryn's feelings and determination are very realistic for someone in her position.

Not so great bits:

I have some problems with the representation of physical disability and mental illness in this book. Paige, Penryn's little sister, is wheelchair bound; that is fine - what isn't fine is the pedestal Paige seems to inhabit. She's just not realistic; no seven year old girl is that saintly, serving only as an idealised damsel in distress for Penryn to rescue and feel responsible for. She needed to like, throw a tantrum, or laugh at the word 'booger,' or do something stupid for the hell of it. If someone is too good, they become unreal.

The portrayal of mental illness - Penryn's mother is a paranoid schizophrenic - is blunt at best. Penryn's mother is seen as little more than a liability - a potential danger to Penryn and Paige. She has very few moments of lucidity. Penryn (whose POV we are following here,) portrays her with a level of disdain that could do with some tempering. There just doesn't seem to be enough recognition of their mother as someone who has thoughts and feelings beyond the 'craziness' the plot calls for; and there's certainly not enough recognition that their mother is, in her own way, just as innocent as the saintly Paige.

This book gets gory. A lot. And a lot of people won't like that. There's also the aforementioned depictions of mental health. And there's a fair amount of stuff that wouldn't be out of place in a horror novel - including cannibalism. People of a religious persuasion may be offended by the part of the angels as cruel and arrogant creatures, many of whom have some pretty nasty things lurking in their pasts.

Verdict:

This is a page turner. There are some downsides, but over all this is fresh and thoroughly enjoyable.

Nerd Church! - Juno Dawson's Diversity List

Hey everyone! I'm probably, as you're reading this, off on nerd pilgrimage to my local comic-con, happily basking in my nerdiness.

So, instead of leaving you all high and dry, I thought I'd leave this link to a list of diverse YA fiction from the author Juno Dawson. Enjoy - and I hope you find something to add to your tbr list - I know I will. I first found this list through this post on Tumblr - which has a bunch of awesome cover pics all smushed together for the visuals to be all visually visual (I haven't even had coffee, what is wrong with me?)

Friday Fics Fix! (In Which the Blogger Regrets Her Life Choices)

I haven't found this post easy this week guys - honestly. It's just... the internet! All of the depravity! I'm seriously struggling to find a fic that I've read this week which I can share with you in good conscience.

I've seen some stuff man, oh God, have I seen some stuff.

So, while I try and deal with my extreme scarring at the metaphoric hands of the internet, I'll leave you with some Johnlock fluff (def: John and Sherlock romantic stuff that doesn't get sexy.)

The appropriately named Johnlock One shot by hallucilucifer is cute, short, and safe. As in, there aren't any scenes which will have you questioning what you're doing with your life.

Hopefully I'll have a bit more for you next week, but I've fallen into a deep dark den of disturbing fics with nary a rope in sight to pull me out (and I just used the word 'nary,' I think I need help.) If you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them - particularly if they restore my faith in humanity. I've spent too much time on ao3.

(Fangirling note: the two main fanfiction sites (excluding Tumblr) are Fanfiction.net and An Archive of Our Own (or ao3) - Fanfiction.net likes to pretend it's civilised: fur-coat, no-knickers, style. Whereas ao3... ao3 has no shame. Nobody ever pushes the 'Go back' button. Save our souls.)